Hayden Panettiere Remembered: Soap Stars Share Heartfelt Tributes
The daytime community was heartbroken by the news that Hayden Panettiere (ex-Lizzie, Guiding Light; ex-Sarah, One Life to Live) had died at the age of 36, and many of her friends and stars from GL and OLTL shared heartfelt messages on social media.
Remembering Hayden Panettiere
Panettiere appeared on GL from 1996-2000 as the daughter of Phillip Spaulding (Grant Aleksander) and Beth Raines, played by Beth Chamberlin. Chamberlin posted to Instagram: “Hayden played my daughter for 3 years. She was the most brilliant child actor I’ve ever seen. The things she could do, the way she could remember 20+ pages of dialogue, day after day. Even on days where the director would come out between dress and tape and make huge cuts to the scenes, Hayden never once forgot a line or missed her blocking. The adults would, but not Hayden. I felt blessed to work with her. And always perfect in her playing of the scene.”
Later, in the comments of an Instagram tribute to Panettiere from The Locher Room, Chamberlin added, “I’m absolutely devastated. I don’t want people to remember her for her troubles. I want people to remember her for her brilliance.”
Rebecca Budig (Taylor, Bold and Beautiful), who starred on GL as Michelle Bauer while Panettiere was on the CBS sudser, also spoke out in those comments. “I remember working alongside her,” she recalled. “Loved her and her family. She and Beth [Chamberlin] were spectacular together. So sad for her family and those who knew and loved her.”
Gina Tognoni , who played Kelly Cramer on OLTL during Panettiere’s Llanview days, added, “Peace to you — so sorry to hear this. I saw your heart in everything you did.”
Laura Wright (Carly, General Hospital) overlapped with Panettiere when she played Cassie Layne on Guiding Light. Wright wrote in her Instagram Stories that Panettiere “was just pure magic! I’m so sad to hear the news — Rest.”
Brittany Snow played Susan LeMay on GL, whose birth mother, Harley Cooper (Beth Ehlers), was married to Lizzie’s father during the actresses’ years on the show. She shared a vintage photo of Panettiere kissing her on the cheek in her Instagram stories and wrote, “I was lucky enough to play your sister for 3 years. I related to you so much in so many ways. Ways that I never even told you. Your talent was remarkable & so was your determination to be a bold, bright shining light. And you were. Always supportive, curious, funny and brave. You will always be remembered undoubtedly for your undeniable strength and spirit. 💔”
Bethany Joy Lenz (ex-Michelle, GL), shared a series of pictures on Instagram, including Panettiere as a child on Guiding Light and some of them together on red carpets as adults. “There is nothing that posting pictures on the internet can do,” she wrote. I avoid it usually in moments like this. But I’m here with my head in my hands and I don’t know what else to do aside from praying for her soul, which I have done and will continue.
“I’m crushed,” Lenz continued. “I knew the wild little blonde. Was she nine? Ten? I was eighteen. She ran through the Screen Gem studio hallways at 222 E44th St. laughing and playing games in between Guiding Light blocking and camera rehearsals. Long, unruly curls trailing behind her. She knew her lines and everyone else’s. Her intelligence was astonishing. She understood scenes and nuance and human struggle like no child I’d ever seen on camera. And she’d sit with you for a great conversation, then giggle and go play. We’d connect on and off over the years, like the cousin in the family reunion who got famous and life moved her away—but I always felt such joy seeing her when we were lucky enough to cross paths. We’d make a pact to talk soon. Lunch. Dinner. Somewhere we could curl up into a corner—but we never quite made it happen. I mostly stayed up to date through mutual friends.
“I don’t understand how this is real,” Lenz concluded. “Everything seemed to be turning around. She was coming back to life, wasn’t she? It’s too young and there’s still so much more life. And her daughter…. Hayden, you are surrounded by love. I’m sorry for every moment I didn’t reach out or check in. This can’t be real. These are moments of how I knew you, in glimpses over 26 years. I don’t know how to process this. I am praying for you to know the peace of God now and always.”
Emme Rylan, who played an adult Lizzie on GL from 2006 until the soap’s end in 2009 and also starred alongside Panettiere in the 2006 movie Bring It On: All or Nothing, posted in her Instagram Stories, “So very sad. Rest in peace sweet soul.”
Signy Coleman had taken over the role of Annie Dutton while Panettiere was on GL, and shared on Instagram, “My deepest condolences to the Panettiere family and their loved ones on the loss of their beloved Hayden. We are all struck dumb, and our grief is profound. My heart is broken for [her parents] Lesley and Alan. She was a beautiful, vibrant, and talented young woman… far too young to no longer be with us. She was truly ‘an Incredible Light and a Force of Nature.’ From a very young age, her talent was uncanny, and her ability to step into whatever character she chose to inhabit was remarkable. Her gift was unquestionable, and she was kind—so very kind—to everyone she encountered.
“Some people enter our lives for only a brief chapter, but somehow leave an imprint that lingers long after we move on in different directions,” she continued. “I had the privilege of working with Hayden on Guiding Light at the beginning of her remarkable journey, and it was evident how truly gifted she was. A golden-haired child, with curls framing her beautiful, inquisitive face, her energy and light filled whatever room or set she stepped into. Even at a very young age, she was a consummate professional.
“There are lives that remind us how precious and how fragile this wild and beautiful life truly is,” Coleman finished. “Hayden’s light touched so many, and for those of us who were fortunate enough to share even a small chapter of her story, she will always remain a part of ours. May she finally know peace. May her golden light continue to shine. And may she never be forgotten, always remembered, as golden.”
Burgess Jenkins (ex-Billy, Y&R) worked with Panettiere on both the 2000 film Remember the Titans and when he guested in a few episodes of her primetime series Nashville. On Instagram, he shared a photo of himself holding Panettiere outside of the trailers during the shooting of the movie and captioned it, “Hayden was a light and a good friend. You are loved and missed. Rest in Peace Hay Hay.”
In his Instagram Stories, Bryan Craig (ex-Morgan, GH) posted a text exchange he had with Panettiere where they laughed about her making fun of his hat and then finding a much worse camouflage baseball cap in her own closet. He captioned it: “Love you Hayden. Rest in peace Angel.”
In a subsequent post, Craig mused, “Cherish the moments with people you love and care about. As cliche as it sounds. Send that text, get that cup of coffee, tell them you love them and you’re proud of them. You may not get the chance again.”
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